


Stay Right There

by VZizzle



Category: New Girl (TV 2011)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:29:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29583090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VZizzle/pseuds/VZizzle
Summary: They find each other in the elevator. They kiss and see through space and time for a moment. Then what?
Relationships: Cece Parekh/Schmidt (New Girl), Jessica Day/Nick Miller, Winston Bishop/Aly Nelson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a dialogue-heavy, 2-part fan fiction. Mostly conversation, its what I envisioned happened after those doors closed. I do hope all who read it, enjoy it; as it is kind of written as a love-letter to the show. Please review and let me know your thoughts.

“Stay right there!” they holler at one another - from outside and inside respectfully.

Jess presses the button out of habit - yet has enough adrenaline for the stairs. But, then the glorious bell of the elevator dings and she enters. Then on the following floor, a rotund UPS man with a hand truck takes up most of the space, pushing her into a corner.

Nick's frantically pressing the elevator button, literally begging the metal doors to hurry up and open. It has been what feels like forever, and he contemplates the stairs, opening the door in the wall, when the lift finally arrives.

The elevator doors ding open and he sees the UPS man taking his sweet time.

“Oh, come on. Please go faster. I gotta tell my best friend I love her,” Nick yells.  
“Why don’t you go take a shower first? I’ve never seen someone sweat so much,” hollers the UPS man.  
“Why don’t you take a shower! You smell terrible!” Ugh. Why won this guy hurry up?  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”  
“You smell terrible!”  
When the UPS man officially exists the elevator shaft, he sees her. She sees him.  
She giggles, leaning against the back wall of the lift. “Hey, Miller,” Jess chirps.  
“Hey.”

The elevator doors start to close again, and he pulls out his arm to stop it. He walks in and stands next to her.

They look at one another and smile nervously. Excitement filling the tight space.

Looking straight ahead, they watch the doors close. But neither moves, nor says another word. They just keep smiling. Wider and wider.

Seconds. Days. Years. Decades. All time in the world goes by until he grabs her left arm and turns her to face him. Then he pulls her close and kisses her with all his might.

He gabs her and takes her. He was a man. And she was a wo-man. It’s firm, but tender.  
 _Oh damn…_  
And they see though space and time for a minute - but that’s not the point…

_Because… its Love…_

It is a kiss filled with love… and maybe something more?  
More love. More passion. More…everything…  
More everything than either of them has felt in really long time.

Was there popular contemporary alt rock music starting to play in the background? Who knows?

The elevator doors open again while there are embroiled in their passion.

He’s holding her close. Holding her up, perhaps. He can’t let go.  
She tightens her grip. She’s never letting go. And her foot pops up uncontrollably, like she’s a freakin’ Disney character.

The elevator doors open and close again, but Jess and Nick have not broken their embrace. They cannot let go. Not yet anyway. They are still hungry for each other. The taste addictive. It feels more familiar than their very first kiss, but different.

After what feels like both an eternity and mere seconds, Jess finally pulls away, panting. Her eyes wide and looking up at Nick. Searching him. He looks down at her and cannot stop smiling. His cheeks start hurting from the grin. She giggles.

There are a lot of things to say, but not yet.

His arms are still wrapped around her back. She is still gripping his shoulders for dear life. Fearing if she let go, the floor will open beneath her and she will fall in down the rabbit hole.

The elevator doors ping open again. The metal entranceway is starting to get impatient.

“We should probably go upstairs,” Rational Jess murmurs.

They break apart and he presses the 4 button, and the elevator starts to ascend to their floor. His floor?

About 15 seconds goes by as they are standing against the back wall of the elevator. They are both awkward and nervous now. An emotional sweet spot for a large portion of their relationship. They are quiet. It is exciting.

Nick takes this opportunity to stretch his arm across her body and put his hand on the upper portion of her left breast. “Most under-rated part of the boob. And yours have got a great squish to them.”

“No argument there,” Jess agrees.

They giggle a little and he lets go of her chest and takes her right hand. He pulls her in, just a little closer, and right as he is leaning in to kiss her again the elevator doors open for them to exit.

Seizing the moment (and the convenient proximity), he scoops her up by her legs and caries her bridal style out of the elevator. She gasps.

“I probably shouldn’t have left the loft door open,” Jess murmurs as Nick caries her down the hall.

“Probably not,” Nick replies with a slight strain. “Although it does come in handy right now.”

He groans once they are past the threshold. He pauses in the foyer. Both uncertain where to go. He turns them towards the hall leading to the bedrooms. Both physically tense up.

“I don’t think we’re ready for that yet,” Nick comments. He turns them towards the leather sofa.

“Yeah, we’re not really ready for that yet,” Jess concurs.

Their bodies relax and Nick carries them over to the couch.

“Here is better,” he comments as holds onto Jess while sitting them down.

“Yeah, I think so too,” she quietly concedes.

He places them on the long side of the sectional, so that Jess’s back is against the armrest closest to the windows. Her left hand holding onto the top of couch. Nick’s back is against cushions, with Jess’s stocking-clad legs draped over his. He looks up at the Iron Curtain and catches his breath.

Jess is still a little out-of-breath as well. She’s staring at him when he looks over at her. They both look like children on Christmas morning.

They are both quiet. But it is an exciting, nervous kind of quiet. Its good.

Simultaneously, they both abruptly speak:  
“I have something I wanna say—“ Nick says.  
“Nick I—“ Jessica says.  
And just as quick—both stop.  
After a second, Jess speaks up, “You go first.”  
“No! You go first,” Nick insists.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes!”  
“Okay, well, you were right - I was at your reading yesterday,” she watches as his chest rises and falls, slight change in his demeanor. Nick gets his look of sadness and confusion and concern. It is a small change that Jess has seen him make more than she wishes. “I knew you and Regan had broken up. I had gone to tell you how I feel. I had this whole spiel planned out on flash cards.”  
“Jess I—"  
She cuts him off: “AND then you made that comment about Jessica Knight and Julius Pepperwood never getting together. That they were fundamentally different. And I just knew I had to get out of there. Out of here. I couldn’t live across the hall and see you every day. I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

Nick’s look of concern grown on his features.

“I’ve... I’ve had feelings for you for a long time. Romantic feelings... And when you made that comment, I just thought that you were never going to feel that same way about me ever again,” She pauses to siffle up some almost-falling tears. He sucks in a breath.  
“So, I knew I needed to move out because I couldn’t just keep pretending I was okay. When I really wasn’t okay. Not at all. Then Winston was brave and called his dad, and he told me I needed to be brave too. And then we were stopped in the moving truck and I heard ‘Time of My Life’ on the radio—”

Nick chuckles his face lights up.

“And... and I knew he was right. I couldn’t leave without at least telling you how I feel. Telling you that I’m still in love with you. You’re my best friend, and, I just needed you had to know.”  
The smile on his face grows and then he eyes get wide with confusion and he shakes his head— “Wait—did you just say Winston called his dad?”  
“Yeah, Aly found his dad’s number. It’s a whole thing,” she quickly explains with a hand gesture. Nick’s eyes get even wider and he shakes his head again with concerned surprise. But the moment is fleeting.  
Because Jess brings him back to what is happening. “Anyway, I had this whole spiel planned out on flash cards to tell you how I feel, and I was reviewing them when I ran up the stairs to see you …” she reaches in her purse. “Then, I dropped the cards in the stairwell… and now they’re all out of order… and some of them were in song… and…”  
“Some of them were in song?” Nick teases. “Let me see,” he commands grabbing one of the cards.  
“Nick…” she groans back a little from his teasing. Like she always does.  
 _“Who’s that guy? Who’s that guy?... It’s Nick!”_ he reads off index card in his hand. “Oh, I’m keeping this!” he elates.  
“C’mon Nick! Give it back,” Jess pleads trying to snatch it from him. But he has one arm on her knees, holding her down. And the other arm raised up so high you would think he was a giant. She was never getting that card back. She never wants it back.  
“No, this is mine! Mine forever!” he commands, goofy grin on his face.  
“Nick! Please!” she groans again, louder this time.  
“Okay, okay! I’ll stop,” he gives in. “But I’m still keeping this though,” he finishes, getting in the last word, as he folds up the card and places in the inside breast-pocket of his sport coat.  
Her smile is wide. She is glowing, and you can practically hear her heart pounding. “And I guess… the bottom line is that… I’m in love you. You’re not my weird detour. You are guy I want to be with. You are incredible, and I am crazy about you. You’re the man I want. It’s you. And it will always be you.”

She stops speaking, and the world stops moving for a millisecond.

Serious, Lovelorn Nick is looking back her. He takes her left hand that is resting on the top of the couch and intertwines her fingers with those of his right. “I love you, Jess,” he says calmly. “And I have a lot I want to say. So much,” he begins.  
“Okay,” she braces herself. Holds on to her leg; his left arm causally draped over her knee.  
“Jess, remember that day when Caroline came over, and your weirdo ex-boyfriend was here with his kid?”  
“Berkley. Go on.”  
“Well, I meant what I said that day, that I’ve loved you since the moment I opened the door. That’s why I was scared to have to live here; and why I singed the no-nail oath. I have loved you from that first moment I laid eyes on you. And I have never stopped loving you. I love you as a roommate. I love you as a friend. And I love you as the beautiful, prefect, sexy women that you are, and as the women who I want to have a romantic, fun relationship with. I am in. I am ALL IN!”

Their hearts were pounding. Tears were forming. Their eyes focused one another, and the rest of the loft was melting away.

He continues: “I’m crazy about you, Jess. I want everything with you. I want to buy you flowers from a semi-homeless lady off the street, and it would be really great if you didn’t run out of the car afterwards.”  
“I promise I won’t run out of the car.”  
“I want to actually say to you: Jessica, you are a beautiful woman, and my life has not been the same since I met ya. And it would mean the world to me, if ya would go on a date with me. I want to take you to Beso, and actually have a meal and drink the bottle champagne that arrives perfectly on time.”  
“I’ll try to make sure we avoid jaywalking this time.”  
“And then I want to take you on a date to that super-expensive place Schmidt ditched us at, and drink Chardonnay we sneak in in a thermos mainly because that’s all I’ll be able to afford after the meal Beso.”  
She smiles and continues her cocky quips, “I’ll be sure to wear that red dress.”  
He smiles back, intrigued. “That would be _very_ nice of you. I want have to sex with you against that crappy Ikea dresser and break it. And then we go back to Ikea and get you a new dresser, and I put it together and then we put in my… _sexy mix…”_ he wiggles his eyebrows, “and break it all over again.”  
“I do really enjoy dates before sex.”  
“I want to go on a cruise with you, and get the Grand Romance Package, and actually figure out what the hell that Yoga instructor was talking about, then take you back to our… _lover’s suite…_ and unite our souls and genitals.”  
“I am curious how that worked as well.”  
“But I still want to take the funny photos as opposed to those cheesy romantic ones, because the funny photos are just better. After a vacation, everyone always wishes they had the silly photos.”  
“Naturally.”  
“I want you to get out the sex mug you hid and put it out every day. Or, well, most days. Whatever you consent to.”  
“Wait? Sex mug **_I_ **hid?—” She gestures toward herself. “You took the sex mug,” Jess rebuttals, pointing at Nick.  
He scrunches into his Turtle Face, “No I didn’t! Look, I’ll be honest, I thought about it, and I realized I could never throw that way. I even got up that night to take out the mug. And then… when I got the trash can… it was already missing! Do not lie to me missy, you wanted the mug!”  
“Well, I’m not lying to you either, I did want the mug. So much so that I also went back to take the mug out that night, and it was already gone. Explain that, Miller!”  
His angry sarcasm takes over. “Oh, and you’re just going to go ahead and steal my story! OK!”

The passion between them. It is intense, angry, and oddly sexual all at the same time. They both grin. Both missed this.

“Nick, just be honest and admit you took out the sex mug,” she tries to reason.  
“No! You be honest and admit that you took out the sex mug!”  
“I didn’t take out the mug!”  
“Well, neither did I!”

  
“That’s because I took out the sex mug!” Theodore K. Mullins projects from the entranceway; his fiancée by his side.  
“What?” Jess, Nick, and Aly ask in unison.  
“I took the sex mug,” Winston repeats.  
Nick and Jess look surprised to see Winston and Aly. Aly gets a goofy, lovesick grin seeing Nick and Jess together.  
“You took it out of the trash?” Nick asks.  
“Why?” asks Jess.  
“It was a perfectly good mug that you two threw out, so I took it out of the trash and turned it into a cat mug.”  
“You turned a sex mug into a cat mug?” ask Aly, only being partially rhetorical. “Also, what is a sex mug?” she asks seriously.  
“Oh, it’s a mug Jess and I would use for sex,” Nick haphazardly explains.  
“What? Ew! Gross!” Aly grimaces.  
“Ha! That doesn’t get old,” Jess chimes in.  
“It’s the Ass Mug,” Nick adds, only confusing the situation further for Aly.  
Jess jumps in again. “It’s an Associated Strategies mug that Nick and I would put out on the entryway table when one of wanted to make love. It was like a code we used when we were dating.”  
“It was a way for one of us to let the other know that we were aroused, without _arousing_ suspicion. Ass out… meant assess out. That is wordplay. It is also a free writing lessen for you, young lady” Nick elaborates.  
“Don’t ever call me that again,” Aly cop modes back to Nick before asking Winston, “But, now, what is a cat mug? And please don’t tell me that has anything to do with sex.”  
“No! Of course not. It is just a mug I use for treats for Ferguson. Pop a little snacky in there for him every now-and-again. Just when I wanna show him that his papa cares,” Winston clarifies.  
“Ew!” Aly, Nick, and Jess say in unison.  
“Yeah, that description did not make this better,” Aly explains to her fiancée.  
“If you guys want, I can give the mug back to you,” Winston reasons.  
“Yeah, I think we’re good bud,” Nick confirms. “Thank you, though.”  
“Also, new topic: how long have you two been standing there?” asks Jess.  
“Just long enough to hear you yelling about the sex mug, so if guys had sex already, we didn’t hear that,” Winston oddly explains (as if that’s new).  
“We haven’t had sex yet,” Nick clarifies-slash-yells.  
“Yet?” Jess sarcastically questions.  
“I mean, we haven’t had sex! We haven’t done anything!” he continues yelling.  
“Well, I wouldn’t say we haven’t done anything,” Jess intervenes. “It all been very Middle School Dance Rules.”  
“Clearly you guys are dealing with something…” Aly interjects. “So we’re gonna leave you guys alone for a little bit.”  
“Actually, now that we have an actual adult living in the loft,” Jess inserts gesturing to Aly.  
“Thank you,” Aly graciously responds.  
“Can you take this card and call the rental truck company, asking them to add another day on the rental? Please?”  
“Sure,” Aly sweetly agrees.  
“And, if you want as a thank you, you can use that card and get you guys a hotel room for a night,” Jess explains. Then looks over to question Nick with: “One night?”  
“Two nights?” Nick suggests back.  
“Two nights,” Jessica agrees while giving the go-ahead to Aly and handing her the card.  
“Two nights it is then,” Aly confirms.  
“I’m not sure how you’re going book all that on a card that’s not your own – but you’re a cop. You’ll figure it out.”  
Aly gives a surprised-but-not-surprised face and takes Jess’ card. “I’ll figure it out.”  
“And put room service and a bottle of champagne on that as well.”  
“Whoa, big spender!” Nick adds-in surprised. “And here’s twenty jar bucks from Schmidt. Buy dessert.”  
“Jar bucks? Really?” Winston questions.  
“Yeah, he made an inappropriate comment about being children’s literature’s new daddy – or something like that – at the publishers office today. Then, he repeated himself. Two comments, twenty bucks.”  
“Oh, wait—daddy?” Jess pipes up.  
“Yeah…”  
“Cece’s pregnant!” Jess, Winston, and Aly explain to Nick.

  
“Sadie called, and we accidently told Schmidt, so he knows, but, yeah, Cece pregnant,” Winston adds.  
“What? I thought Cece couldn’t have kids… or something.”  
“No, it was just going to be difficult because her egg count is low. But she can have kids, and she is!” Jess adds, excited.  
“So that must be why he left so suddenly.”  
“You might have to give him that money back,” Winston states.  
“I don’t think so. There is no way that he knew about Cece when he made that comment. I’m gonna call him.”  
“I think you’re wrong, Nick,” Winston persists.  
“Shhh… I’m calling Schmidt.”  
On speaker phone, the call is answered after only one ring. “What? Nick!” Schmidt answers indigently.  
“Hey, did you know that Cece is pregnant?”  
“Did I know that my wife, _whom_ I’m about to have sex with, is pregnant!?” Schmidt questions/yells rhetorically to Nick. “Yes, of course I know!”  
“Yeah, but did you know when you made that comment in the publisher’s office about being ‘literature’s daddy’?”  
“No, I did not know then. I have to go!”  
“So, it was still a douchebag comment, and I get to keep my twenty bucks.”  
“What did you say?” Cece’s question heard in the distance.  
“I have to go! Yes, you can keep the twenty dollars. Goodbye, Nicholas!”  
“Later, Schmidt,” Nick responds to dial tone. “See, I get to keep the money.”

Winston smirks putting keys on the coffee table, notifying the party. “Here’s the key to the moving truck. Its two blocks down. We helped load the truck, so I am speaking on both our behaves,” he gestures between himself and Aly. “That you can unload it yourselves tomorrow.”  
“I don’t mind helping,” Aly speaks up for herself, grabbing the twenty from Nick.  
“Well, that is totally up to you. However, we do have work at our jobs where we have a twelve-hour-shift in the morning. But if you want to help them afterwards…” Winston rebuttals matter-of-factly.  
“That is true,” Aly agrees. “I’m out. Wanna go and eat and have crazy hot hotel sex on their dime? Leave them do this?”  
“Absolutely!” Winston starts walking to the door. “We out!”  
“Bye,” Nick smirks with a wave.  
“Have fun you two,” Aly says sweetly says before following behind Winston.  
“Same to you. Please do not break anything in the hotel that I am paying for,” Jess quietly pleads as they walk out.  
“I make no promises,” Winston chimes in.  
Nick calls out to Winston “Hey, we gotta talk about that Dad thing.” While the Bish is closing the door.  
“Yeah,” is all they hear back before the door closes with a familiar bang.

* * *

They look at each other. It gets quite again. They were in the middle of a thing.

“Hi,” Jess sweetly quips, but there is obvious trepidation.  
“Hi,” Nick says back with a smile.  
“Okay… putting the sex mug aside… I just want you to know that there is nothing I know more that I want than to be with you, Jess. I’d do anything for ya. You want cup of tea? I’ll make it. You lose your phone? I’ll call it.”  
“Well, you’ll get the benefits this time,” Saucy Jess chimes in.  
“Yeah, I will.”  
They high five.  
“I wanna go to a cabin in the woods and get drunk on Absinthe with you. I wanna accidentally poisoned you on bad fish I attempted to catch.”  
“No you don’t.”  
“No, you’re right. I don’t want to do that one. I want you to be alive.” He pats her legs. “I want you around because I like you a lot. I like having you around, Jess. I really do.”  
“Wait, I thought you didn’t remember what happened that night at the beach?”  
He wisely smirks and kisses on her right knee. “And I love you because you didn’t tell me what happened that day. I love your wonky knee and really love your prefect breasts. And I love all your pantyhose and your glitter.  
“I love that you’re a know-it-all. I love that you yell about too many Chinese food menus. I love that you get this crazy look in your eyes when you’re on a mission for justice. You get seriously crazy, and we argue, and it’s amazing! Also, I have no idea with how much alcohol I’ve consumed throughout our relationship that I’m remember all of this.”

They smirk. Then…someone’s stomach growls.

“Was that my stomach or your stomach?” Nick quotes Catalano.  
Jess smiles, knowing that he does not know why. “You wanna order a pizza or something?” She asks. “I’m still a little in moving mode, and we should probably eat something.”  
“Yeah, that would be nice.” Pulls out his phone from his blazer pocket and scrolls through his contacts.  
“You have the pizza place saved in your phone?”  
“Yeah, isn’t that what this function is for? Pizza?”  
“You could argue that’s what Google Maps is for.”  
“Why would a map have a phone number?”  
She smiles again. He’s not wrong.  
“Hey! Pizza Palace. Yeah, can I have two pizzas. One all cheese and one half-pepperoni, half... hold on... Jess, you want some girly topping on your pizza?”  
“I’m fine with more cheese.”  
“Yeah, and the other half of that one just plain cheese. Can we also have an order of garlic knots… and do you guys have alcohol?... Beer and wine? Perfect. We’ll have a 6-pack of Heisler and bottle of rosé. ... Anything else?” He faces Jess.  
“Napkins!”  
“Napkins. Lots and lots of napkins. ... $56.50? Sheesh. Yes, this apartment 4D… Yes, we do order from you a lot. 25 minutes? Perfect. Thank you.”

“I’m getting a little warm,” Jess comments as she starts to take off her jean jacket and kicking off her flats.  
“Me too,” Nick concurs, taking off his tweed.

It gets quiet again. But it is a comforting quiet. There is some sort of magic there. They have been in these quiet moments so many times before. She is looking at him with longing. As if she’s a lovelorn Angela Chase. He smirks back.

* * *

“Did you have any more you wanted to say?” Jess invites evenly.  
“Yeah…I did. Jess, I want you to know…I am happiest when I’m making you happy. I have known that I love making you happy since we first met. I ran away from a party with an open bar… _and Caroline…_ so I knew you wouldn’t be sad and alone that night. I ran into a restaurant and sang to you.  
“I knew I loved making you happy when I took you to Candy Cane Lane and screamed at all houses to turn the lights to cheer you up when you got dumped on Christmas. I knew it when I hit on your mom when you tried to Parent Trap your parents. I knew it when I told all the guys that we needed to go on your tour of Portland when that British guy bailed. I knew it when we went on our little Rumspringa a few months ago, and I brought you that principal’s blazer.  
“And I get really mad whenever anyone ever hurts you. Out of all the crappy things my father did to the members of my family, I don’t think I was **_ever_ **as mad at him as I was when he took money from you. And I yelled at that ex-boyfriend of yours, and put on one of your goofy hats, just to get your stuff back…”  
“Spencer. And you really just wanted the TV.”  
“No, I didn’t, and you know it,” Nick corrects her. “I’ll do anything for you, Jess. And I love making you happy. I want to sit next to you at the movies on every single birthday. I want to do the chicken dance with you at every wedding ever. I’ll pretend to be Gay Nick again if you need me to that again for some strange reason.”  
“You probably help me too much, Nick. I rely on you too much. I need you too much.”  
“No, you don’t. You’ll be fine. Because we met each other. I love that I know I need your help, too.”  
“I love that you let me help you too. I probably help you too much.”  
“You really like to butt your head into stuff.”  
“Yes, I do,” she laments honestly.  
“Jess, you are one of the very few people in this world I can rely on, and that means so much to me. I know I can walk on the other side of the bar for ‘ya. You’re worth the risk. I know that I will get thought all of this because of you. You can fight off coyotes in the desert. I might even be able to walk through a haunted house with you.”  
“Yeah, but that still doesn’t prevent me from possibly getting punched by you.”  
“That is true. But I’ll let the guys hold me down when you punch me back.”

Jess smiles and nuzzles her head against Nick’s arm. Gently drawing herself closer to him, but still keeping their bodies the same. Keep some distance. Nick wraps his arm around her knees again.

He continues: “I want to make sure that in the future, I get us out of every little weird scrap you get us in to. I don’t just want to have now with you. I want to have a future with you. I want—”  
“Nick,” Jess sighs, stopping him. “You don’t have to say this. Planning your life out... I don’t think any of that stuff matters.”  
He shakes his head in disagreement. “Yes! I do have to say this! Because it does matter! And I need for you to know this!”

  
Jess is visibly taken aback. She looks at him with wide eyes; sad and surprised.

“I don’t want to want to drive a truck on Mars. I don’t want to be sad and alone on another planet. I wanna have a life here with you! I don’t know how we’re gonna get past calling our son Reginald VelJohnson, but we’ll figure it out.”  
“We could just name him Stefan and make everybody happy.”  
Nick frowns in agreement. “That could work. And I do know that someday I want to have a kid with you. And I want to have a house with you. I’ll be honest, I really don’t want a horse. They’re from outer space and there would be so much hay, and…”  
“The horse was a little much… even for me,” Jess interjects, nodding her head to her left side.  
“And look… I probably won’t be the guy who has all the toys out of the boxes and put together on Christmas morning. Probably because I’ll be drinking peppermint schnapps in my hot chocolate on Candy Cane lane.”  
“Naturally.”  
“But, maybe, we can be _the family_ that unwraps the box on Christmas morning and puts the toys together while were all in some pajama outfits you’ll make us wear…”

Jessica stops Nick from talking by leaning up and grabbing his face. Kissing him gently.

She breaks apart from him and he continues. “Look, I know it’s not perfect, but its real and it’s—"  
She’s fighting back tears when she cuts him off. “NO! No… that… that is perfect. I want that. I want that **_so_** much.”

  
Jess kisses him hard. Nick glows back at her.

Now it’s her turn to say some stuff. “Look, Nick, I want to not plan a future with you. I just want… any future with you. I want the good and the bad with you. I want passion, even if it means that we might get hurt. We will yell and we’ll scream, and bicker, but then we’ll make up (and make out). And it will be okay because—"

“Because it’s you and me, Kid.” He cuts her off. “I don’t just want passion. I want something stable and real with you!”

“Did you just honestly use the words ‘stable’ and ‘real’?”  
“Yes! I did! Because I really want that. I want there to be card up on the refrigerator with our names on it.”  
Her eyes get wide, and she traps him. “Did you just propose?” she jests.  
His eyes get wide, and Freaked Out Nick yells, “NO! I mean… I just…” Nick tries to stand up.  
Jess’s legs hold him down and she puts her hand firmly on his shoulders. “No! You are not moonwalking away from me! Not now!”

The pause for an awkward moment – and then a knock on the door.

“Ah, there is a God!” Nick says to the sky before yelling towards the door. “Be there in a second.”  
“Hey, Nick. Can we just forget that that last little bit ever happened and have a few drinks and some pizza? Just talk some more.”  
“A drink and a forget? That’s my sweet spot.”  
Jess swings her legs off Nick, and he rises from the couch to pay the pizza delivery.  
“My legs are a little asleep,” she comments from the sofa as he starts to walk towards the door. “Wait, let me give you some money,” she starts reaching into her crossbody bag (which has still been slung over her torso this entire time).  
“Nah, I got it,” Nick chirps.  
She immediately pops up and starts quickly towards the door. “No! It’s expensive. Let me contribute.”  
“I said, I got it,” he affirms. She nods in response.

They’ve both changed over the past three years. The past six years. And they both know it.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this 2nd Part. When researching this chapter, I learned the rather sad realities of publishing a book, especially as a first-time writer.  
> There also seems to be some debate on whether it’s “Night” like when its dark out. Or "Knight” like in shining armor. When watching the show, I always thought it was the latter, so I went with that here. Also, I made some small edits to Part 1, if you want to take another look at it.
> 
> ETD 3/6/21: because no matter how many times I've read this, there's still stupid mistakes.

Nick starts to take ingredients out of the fridge as Jess gets settled on a stool at the kitchen island. The bartender casually starts to make her an Old Fashioned. 

“What are you doing? You never make cocktails at home,” Jess questions. 

He garnishes with an orange rind and places the highball glass in front of her. His face is serious. “Hey Jess, I’m sorry… I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

“Nick, our break-up was mutual, and I was so long ago,” Jess corrects him. 

“That’s not what I’m talk about.” His voice is dark and rough. There is a significance to his words. 

She nods in response, and sucks in a breath. This is the serious stuff. “Nick, there’s something I have to tell you.”

He braces his arms against the countertop. This is the serious stuff. “What’s up?”

“It really hurt to see you with Regan. And I feel like I am not just saying that to you… I’m saying that to myself too.”

Nick repeats: “I’m sorry that I hurt you, Jess.”

This is stuff they know they have been avoiding. Not just tonight, but for months now. She begins, both preparing for this portion. “I was really hurt. And I’m so mad that I was hurt, because I had no right to be. I tried so hard to be a big person about it all. And when I first came back from Jury Duty, I was totally excited that Regan liked you, and that you liked her back. But then, when she showed up for the wedding, my heart just got crushed.”

“Cece and Schmidt’s wedding?” Nick asks rhetorically. “You’ve felt this way since then?” His second question genuine.

“The night before the wedding, I told Sam I couldn’t marry him, and then he broke up with me because he told me he was in love with his best friend. But then he said to me that the reason I couldn’t marry him… was you. And it was just so shocking because, and soon as he said it, I knew it was true. I was in love with my best friend, too.”

Serious Nick stares back at her, with a half-smile. “Jess, I have hated every single guy that you have dated who wasn’t me. _Well_ , except for Russell. When you first brought over Genzlinger for Thanksgiving, I honestly nearly killed him.”

“Yeah, you were very unwelcoming to him.”

“Then he grew on me a little, and he wasn’t too bad.” Goofy Nick explains. “But don’t even get me started on that Ryan guy. He was literally a handsome British man whose last name was ‘Goes-In-You’. If Coach weren’t around to promise that he would accidentally punch Ryan for me if he ever hurt you, I probably would have just ‘accidentally’ punched him myself just so he wasn’t so damn handsome!”

“How do you accidentally punch someone?”

“I’ve accidentally punch lots of people,” Nick shrugs. Jess smirks as he continues. “You know that weekend you were away with Coach, I told Winston and Schmidt that I never learned to love.”

“Why would you think that?” Jess questions, puzzled. 

“Because... well... I screwed up things with you. I thought at one point I loved Caroline which was actually just a terrible experience...” he reasons. 

“You know how to love Nick.” Jess sympathizes. “Look at the kind of friend you are to all of us. Look at how you take care of your family. When we were together, you ware very loving towards me in your own way. When you told me that story on my birthday about the coin you kept in your pocket from our first kiss? That was so... so unexpected and caring.” 

He gives a doubtful smile in return.

“And even though I’m sure that coin is long gone, it meant a lot to me when you told me that story on the big screen.”

“The coin’s not gone,” Nick clarifies, shifting back, his eyes getting narrow then wide again.

“Nick— it’s okay if you’ve spent it,” Jess affirms. 

“It’s not gone! Why would I get rid of that!? It means a lot to me!” He persists. “I still have coin. Its duct taped to my desk with ‘DO NOT MOVE’ written in sharpie on top of it. I was nervous I would lose it, and I could never spend it. That kiss meant too much to me.”

“That’s what that is. Winston, Schmidt, Coach and I have had bet going on over what that is. I’m really pissed I owe Winston (and his occasional emotional maturity) twelve dollars now.”

“Yeah, Schmidt asked me about that a lot when we were literal roommates. He kept claiming he wanted to know if it was a dead bug I was keeping. I wouldn’t tell him just to keep him squirming. I just thought he figured it out by now. Ah, he doesn’t need to know.” 

Jess smiles back at him and it gets quite again.

Jess starts to divvy up the pizza on the stainless-steel countertop. There starts to be an eb-and-flow to the night. Heavy stuff and light stuff. Maybe that was Nick and Jess’s relationship all along?

“So, how did it go at the publisher’s office today?” Jess enquires, in-between bites. 

“I don’t know. I got up and left when I realized I needed to find you before it was too late.”

“What!? You just left!?” Jess questions perplexed.

“No, I told them that I’d be back tomorrow. That I needed to do something first. Schmidt had told me that you were moving out of the loft. And he said that I have been in love with you since the first moment I saw you. Which, granted, he was not wrong about, and _I have_ said the same thing to him about Cece like a million times as well...”

“Going off topic, Nick.”

“Right, yeah, so Schmidt told me not to be afraid. He was talking about you and me… us. Then the editor had the _stupidest_ idea, and that’s when I knew I had to get here as fast as I could to stop you. I had to come back for ‘ya.”

Jess blushes. “What did he say?”

“Schmidt? He said that I was still in love with you and that—"

“No, the publisher,” Jess cuts Nick off. “What was his stupid idea?”

“They wanted to kill off Jessica Knight in the next book. Making her Schmith’s next victim.”

“WHAT!?” Jess screams back with wide eyes. “You can’t kill off Jessica Knight!”

“I KNOW THAT!” Nick shouts back.

“Why would they even think that was a good idea?” Jess quires. “Didn’t you show him that you’ve already started working on the next chronicle? You have a bunch of chapters written, right?”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to do that,” His voice is an angry, annoyed whisper.

“Look, I’ll come with you tomorrow.” Know-it-all Ms. Day takes charge. “And before the meeting I can help you prepare. Help you write up an outline, present the book you’ve already started—"

“No!” He cuts her off; his voice is still rough. “You don’t need to take care of me!”

Her big Bambi eyes look back at him with fear that she has overstepped. He knows that look all-too-well.

“No, I mean… I want you to come with me tomorrow... If you want, that is. But I can meet with the Publisher Guy myself. I can handle this.”

They both know they have grown so much since they first met over six years ago. They have been depending upon one another for nearly everything. Both know they need to stop enabling each other (although neither will ever admit it).

“I’d like to go with you tomorrow,” she responds quietly. “I know you can do this on your own, but I want to be there for you, because I care about you.” She reaches for his hand, the one not holding a pizza slice, and gives it a little squeeze.

He gives her his patented Nick Miller sheepish half-smile and takes a long drink of his cocktail. Jessica does the same.

“Hey, Nick.” Jess quietly gets his attention. There’s more she has to say now. “I know that you have told me that you fell in love with me the moment you opened the door, but for me, it was a little later.”

He takes big gulp from his Old Fashioned before putting down the glass, getting his nerves in order. He feels his heart get heavy. Is she going to bring up the whole finger guns thing again?

“Do you remember that night when you told me that you were moving in with Caroline? I had just broken up with Russell and slept with Genzlinger?”

“Vaguely…” he remarks. “I drink…”

“That’s when I found out that Paul was dating Asian Jess and he was planning on proposing to her. Then I got watch when he did propose, and then she forgave him and said yes; and it was beautiful. After seeing that, I remember telling you that you deserve something amazing and you deserve love. I said I was going to be there to tell that voice in your head to shut up. Then you told me you were moving in with Caroline.”

She pauses and looks at him all doe-eyed and weary. He looks a little broken back.

“And I just remember my heart sinking and breaking all at the same time as you walked away. At the time, I thought it was because I had just broken up with Russell, and I know how much Caroline had hurt you before. But, when I really thought you were leaving, I so was heartbroken. That’s when knew what I felt for you was something real and scary. I was in love with you, I remember telling you ‘when you really love someone it’s simple.’ I meant it then, and I mean it now. Its real, and it’s true, and its simple. And it never stopped. I love you.”

A serious look grows on Nick’s face, similar to the one he had that day in the bathroom.

He walks to the other side of the stainless-steel island and pulls Jess in for a long, passionate kiss.

They break apart and Jess continues: “Also when we had that talk, you had just come out of the shower and were wearing nothing but a towel, and you were damp and smelled really, really good. That may have also contributed to my affections.”

They chuckle.

“It also contributed to other thoughts in my head. When you came back, and started playing AC/DC, I wanted to knock you out with my American thighs.”

“Yeah ‘ya did.” Saucy Nick saunters back. “Let’s go do that. Right now.”

* * *

After making love, which felt both familiar and different all at the same time, Jess rolls out of Nick’s bed and grabs a shirt to head to the bathroom. She stops for a second to look at his desk. She sees the faint outline of a quarter pushing through sturdy metallic tape; a small smile growing on her face. 

Nick is starting up at the ceiling when Jess comes back in, wearing her pink terry cloth robe. 

“Well, I did not do a good sweep of this place before moving out, because I left all my stuff in the bathroom,” she mutters, pulling the tie to tighten around her waist. 

Nick looks up and his eyes get wide when he sees her. “Get over here,” he growls. “And keep that robe on.”

After a few more rounds of lovemaking, sweaty and giddy Nick rolls-off of Jess. They both start to fall asleep. 

“Goodnight, Miller.” Sleepy Jess mummers. 

“Goodnight, Day,” Sleepy Nick whispers back. 

* * *

The following morning, Nick wakes up and turn towards Jess. She is still out like a light, lying very still. 

He kisses Jessica’s shoulder and starts to crawl out of bed. As quietly as Nick Miller can. In pajamas pants and a flannel henley, he is almost to the door when—

“Hey,” she chirps, her voice little raspy.

“Hey,” he softly says back. A blush starts to grow on his face as he walks back towards her. He places a small peck on her lips before he whispers. “I got an idea, wait here.”

He’s over the stove, and stars to cook something that may resemble breakfast when Jess turns the corner past the pantry and delicately utters “Nick?”

“AHHHH!!” Nick screams in response, spatula flailing over his head. When he sees its Jess, he lets out a huge sigh of relief, with a hand over his diaphragm. 

“You okay?”

“I thought you were your father,” he explains still breathless. “I can’t have that history repeating itself.”

“Wait, what? My dad’s here?” She twitches like a ferret. 

“No. I just got freaked out for a second. But please come and take a seat... breakfast is served,” Saucy Nick explains pours very runny eggs onto their plates, next to the bacon and chocolate chip cookies. 

Jess shrugs with a faint grin, and starts to dig in. 

“What time do you have to be at the publisher’s office?”

“10:30. They’re fitting me in,” Saucy Nick still prevalent, giving off the impression they are doing for him a favor.

Jess knows they are not. “Ten-Thirty? Nick, that’s like in an hour and a half?”

“Yeah? So?”

“So? We have to shower, and get all your paperwork printed up, and get to the office at a minimum of twenty minutes early…and…” She trails off her rambling.

“Jess,” he firmly stops her. “I told you… you don’t have to worry about me. I got this. I can do this on my own.”

“Well, I still want to come with you. For moral support, and to just spend more time with you, at least.”

“Fine,” he concedes, kissing her gently.

“We both need to seriously shower before we go,” Jess observes.

* * *

In the lobby of Park Bench Press, Nick sits on the leather couch. It is obvious he is getting more unsure of himself by the second. He is starting to get a sheen to his brow and is shaking his right leg uncontrollably. The papers in his hand are getting misshapen from his death grip. His head is staring down at his feet. He is wearing the navy blazer from Schmidt, his only other presentable item for a moment of this magnitude.

Jess sits beside him, tightly clutching her large handbag in her lap. It is almost as though she is trying to hide her uterus. The full skirt of her red dress draping in pool around her legs.

“Do you think I should have worn shorts?” He asks her.

“No. Although, they might have prevented some of sweating now.”

“Oh, god. Is it bad?”

“I’ve seen you worse,” Jess reasons.

“What’s in your bag, by the way?”

“Oh, just some knitting to keep me occupied while you’re in your meeting.”

Nick nervously nods in response.

They are quite for a few seconds, and Nick’s twitching reverberates.

“God! Why am I so nervous? I wasn’t this nervous yesterday.”

“Well, you know this might be your last shot,” Jess honestly answers.

Panic Nick starts to slowly surface. “I can’t do this!”

“Yes, you can” Jess interjects. It is time she lays it all on the line. “Nick, you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. That publisher is lucky that you’re even considering letting them publish your book, because it’s a part of you. And if today doesn’t work out for you, it doesn’t change how special you are. And no matter what happens here, I will always love you.”

His blood pressure lowers down from the spike. He shyly smiles at her and he knows. He will be okay - because he met her. Their eyes are intently locked on each other. They don’t even see Merle enter the lobby to greet them.

“Nick Miller? Are you ready to meet this time?”

Nick and Jess stand up. 

“Yeah.” He responds with a breath and gestures to his lady friend. “This is Jess Day. She’s...” he’s trails off, nervous. 

“I’m a... friend... of Nick’s.” She stretches out her hand to Merle. The spectacled man seems skeptical of her, but she has this. “I’m also the principal of Banyan Canyon Intermediate Prep.” 

“That’s one of the best private middle schools in the state,” Merle responds surprised, eyes blinking.

She just smiles back knowingly to Merle. Nick stands by the couch, still trepidatious, gripping the papers in his hand for dear life. All three parties know he cannot screw this up today.

“You got this,” Jess whispers to Nick. 

“You ready?” Merle asks, gesturing towards the hallway. 

Miller takes a big breath, and exhales, “Yes.” He starts to follow Merle through the large lobby when Jess gently grabs his wrist. Turning him to face her. 

“Hey, Nick. I just wanna let you know, I’m in. I am all in.”

His face starts to blush, and he lights up in a way that always gives her butterflies. He leans down to give her peck on the lips. She picks a piece of lint off his lapel. 

“GO!” Jess gestures to the hall. 

“Oh, yeah, right.”

* * *

In the large office with exposed brick, Nick’s hands keep shaking sitting across Merle. “I just want to thank you for letting me come back in to speak to you again.”

Merle looks back at Nick unamused and unfazed. “Well, despite my... precautions... your book is already growing some popularity with our key demographic. We can use that to build real traction for _The Pepperwood Chronicles_.”

“Cool. Great.” He has no clue what to say to this guy. “I have started to work on the second book. I brought a print-out of the first few chapters. As well as the outline on the plot. And I hope you like what I have planned… because I’m... I’m just... I’m NOT KILLING OFF JESSICA KNIGHT!” Nick Miller screams.

Merle looks back at him startled as Nick’s body language shows he instantly regrets that.

“Oh gosh. I am so sorry,” Nick tries to recover. “I didn’t mean to yell. I just... I’m not doing it!” His reiterates, his voice still elevated.

“As I said yesterday, I do understand that you’re nervous to make changes, but you have to trust that we’re trying to make the best books possible.”

“I do understand, but I still don’t think that’s a good idea. That is why I brought what I had so far, because I wanted to show you that there are other options.”

Merle looks unconvinced but allured. He starts to read what Nick has brought and gets quiet. Nick fidgets in his seat.

“I like this idea of Schmith and Pepperwood having a facedown over lunch in the courtyard of Commander’s Palace.”

“Yeah, I’ll be honest, I only went there once for the pre-fix lunch. And I may not be invited back again unless this book is a success, as I may ruffled a few feathers at the complete absurdity of the three-drink limit for the twenty-five cent martinis. Three is not enough! I mean, you can’t give a gown man a giant freshly-baked baguette and homemade creamy butter without a good amount of booze for their system to sop up all that with!”

Merle gives a face of concerned disdain in response.

“I’ve clearly gotten off topic!” Nick replies.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Nick Miller is off on in his fancy meeting with elbow-patches man, Jessica Day takes matters into her own hands.

“Hello there, I’m Jessica Day,” she starts, interrupting two people having a conversation on the couch perpendicular to where she was just sitting. “My friend Nick Miller wrote this really amazing book and hopefully this amazing house will consider publishing it.”

“Okay…” is the doubtful response provided by one of the dubious bystanders whose being handed a copy of Nick’s book.

Jess starts to project her voice more as she tries to get other’s attention. “It’s called _The Pepperwood Chronicles_ and it already has a bit of a following in the tween angst-romance market.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard about this from my friend’s daughter,” another employee comments.

Jess digs into her errand tote and starts to pass copies of various people in the lobby, including the front administrator.

“What’s this book about?” inquires in the brunette pixie cut receptionist.

“It’s a great noir classic. Taking place in New Orleans, it’s about a man who has nothing, who risks everything, to feel something.” Jess has this quote down.

A more-important looking man walks into the front area, and the room gets quiet. The crowd starts to look like they trying to ‘go back to work.’ Except for Ms. Day. She was already at work.

“Hello, would you like a copy?” she cutely queries. Flipping her tussled hair as her full skirt swings. 

“Who are you, and what are you doing?” questions the imposing gentleman to Jess.

“I’m Jessica Day, my friend Nick is meeting with Merle about possible publishing this book,” Jess explains again as she hands a copy over. “I’m a friend of his and the principle of Banyon Canon.”

Boss Man looks a little surprised. “Really? My daughter just finished fourth grade, and we’re thinking about applying there in the fall for middle school.”

  
“Well, I would definitely recommend getting that application in as soon as possible, as my team is already starting to receive applicants for that class.”

“Understood,” the imposing looking man nods.

“Also, I’m not sure you’re aware… but the students at Banyon Canyon love this book, and they love the fact that their principle… me that is… knows the author. I bet our student body, the parent selection committee, and my staff in admissions, would love knowing a new student’s father was responsible for getting _Pepperwood_ officially published. Just saying.”

“Understood again,” he gets the gist, and takes the book that Jess hands to him.

The Boss Man starts to walk down the hall Nick and Merle disappeared into earlier, with Jess smirking as she watches him walk off.

* * *

Boss man barges into Merle’s office without knocking.

“You Nick Miller?” the Boss inquires of Nick.

“Depends on who’s askin’.” Nick’s immediate response.

“His boss,” lobby man gestures towards Merle.

“Yep, that’s me, Nick Miller.” Nick reaches out his hand and Boss Man accepts.

“You wrote this book?” boss man holds up the copy towards his chest.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, your girlfriend just basically blackmailed me into getting my daughter into Banyon Canyon if we publish your book.”

Nick smiles. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“So, I guess we’re publishing your book, then. Right Merle?”

“I guess so,” Merle chimes in.

“Great. We’ll get your deal sorted before the end of the day,” Boss Man concludes with a nod before leaving Merle and Nick.

Nick beams back Merle, blushing. She wasn’t supposed to help. He was supposed to do this on his own. But, he’s still glad she did. 

“So, I guess that we’re not killing off Jessica Knight, then,” Merle concedes.

“No, we’re not,” Nick complies.

“This second book still is rough, though. If you want, for inspiration, we can probably include some time back in New Orleans to work on your second novel in your advance package.”

“My advance?”

“Yeah. We’re going give you a 10-K advance so that it can get started on the second chronicle. And in the meantime, Park Bench will start a larger distribution of the first book. You will get royalties from each book sold. Accounting will explain that in more detail when you meet with them shortly.”

“Okay…” Nick responds, with some confusion and wariness.

“Depending on how quick sales increase, we’ll send you on a book tour. First regionally, then potentially all over the US. And we will probably set up a few signings while you are in Louisiana working on the next book,” Merle explains.

Nick was visually having hard time grasping all of what Merle was saying. “You’re sending me to New Orleans to work on the next book?” Nick asks in disbelief. “Like, you’re gonna pay for it?”

“Yeah,” Merle’s obvious tone in response makes Nick’s eyes grow even wider. 

* * *

About thirty minutes later, the meeting with the Accounting department is more straight-forward and less optimistic. The accountant lady has glasses and red frizzy hair and looks like a cartoon of an accountant. He is actually thankful he passed the bar seven-plus years ago in order to make any sense out of the numbers and explanations they are giving him.

The overall gist is that Nick Miller will not be quitting his day job at the bar anytime soon; and that any real success as a writer is slim-to-none. He will get roughly a dollar-thirty for every book sold, and the more books sold, it may go up to two dollars. Well… that is a bit of a punch in the gut.

The really confusing part is that the are giving him “an advance” to work on his second novel. If that book does not sell, he loses his book deal. However, he does not have to pay back the advance to Park Bench. Merle had explained (twice) that the publishers feel Nick should go to New Orleans for two weeks to get reacquainted with the City again while writing the second book, and that they will be paying for him to do this.

“Is the trip money separate from the advance money?” He asks awkwardly as he tries to make sense of all the numbers being thrown at him. 

“Traditionally the advance is to be used for anything you need while writing your text but considering that your book is already becoming quite popular, we’re willing to pay for your flight and lodging while in the South,” the serious lady explains. She’s clearly unamused by Nick’s typically charming confusion. “But you will be responsible for any expenses.”

“Like beignets and beer? Understood,” Nick complies. 

“Okay, next I’ll be escorting you to HR to fill out some final paperwork.”

After Nick’s meeting with the accounting department to discuss the financial logistics, Frizzy Lady takes him to Human Resources. 

On his way, Nick passes by Jess, patiently knitting on the leather couch in the lobby. Full skirt pooled around her legs.

“Hold on one second,” he asks glasses accountant lady. 

He walks up to Jess and leans down to talk to her but keeps a friendly distance. 

“Hey, how are doing?” He asks her. 

“I’m ok,” he smiles backup at him. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” he murmurs quietly. “It shouldn’t be too much longer.”

“Okay, I’ll go get the car from the valet and wait for you outside,” Jess comments, gathering her belongings. 

“Wait, let me give you some cash towards that,” Nick starts to reach for his pocket. 

“No—“ Jess cuts him off. “I got it. You... you go back to your meeting,” she commands pointing to the Accountant lady, who is looking very impatient now. 

“You sure?” He double checks.

“Yeah,” Jess adoringly similes up at him. They’ve both missed her looking at him like that. “I’ll see you downstairs in a little while.”

“See ya,” he replies, and he follows down the hall with the account lady. 

* * *

After a short while with HR, they brake down for Mr. Miller (for a second time) how direct deposit works. 

“So, the money is just magically in my bank account every month?” Nick inquiries, still confused. 

“Yeah,” the girl from Human Resources replies obviously. 

“That’s crazy,” is Nick’s wide-eyed response. 

“Okay...” HR lady responds dumbfounded “Well, all you have to do is sign these last few documents, and you’re good to go.”

Nick starts scribble away as the lady keeps talking. He needs to get them signed before they change their mind. Or he wakes up from this surreal dream.

“Merle will give you a timeline with milestone dates in a few days, as he is your official publisher here at Park Bench, and will be your main point-of-contact. Here is my card as I’m sure you will probably have questions for me that you didn’t think of at this moment.” Nick nods. “Otherwise... congratulations Mr. Miller... you are officially a published writer.”

She reaches out her hand and Nick quickly accepts. 

“Thank you,” he says equally excited and nervous. He grabs his jacket and quickly leaves before they change their mind.

Four seconds later Nick barges back in. “Uh, how do I...?”

“Two rights, then you’ll see the lobby to your left,” HR lady depends in response. “Merle should be there waiting for you.” 

“Thanks.”

* * *

He sees Jess leaning against her little blue car when he walks out onto the street. He can’t hide his joy right now. 

Her infectious smile beams back at him. “Are you a published writer?” 

He smiles at her before quickly walking up – grabbing her by the waist, puling her close, and kissing her hard. 

They break apart and she giggles. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Give me the keys,” he demands. She complies. 

“Okay, we'll talk in the car,” she responds to her own question while he holds the passenger door open for her. 

Nick’s diving her hybrid with peddle to the metal while explaining all that went down in his meetings this morning.

“They are giving me ten thousand dollars, Jess. Do you know how much money that is?” Nick questions, delighted. 

  
“It’s ten thousand dollars,” Jess deadpans back with sarcastic joy.

“And they’re gonna to start printing copies of the book right away, to build on the current popularity.” He turns towards her, but his foot is still firmly on the gas. “Thank you so much for talking to that boss guy.”

“It was just dumb luck,” Jessica sweetly comments, as it is kind of true.

“Oh, my god! Did that just happen? This is crazy! So crazy!” Nick elates. He’s driving fast. 

“This is crazy!” Jess agrees. “You’re going to be a publisher author!”

“I’m gonna be a published author! The guy with the goofy name is gonna publish my book! My book!”

“I know! I’m so excited! This is amazing!”

“Ahhh!!” Miller screams one last time before quietly saying, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Hey Nick? Where are we going?” She notices they are definitely not going towards the loft.

“I don’t know. Where do we come from? Where do we go?”

Jess belly laughs, as their blood pressure starts to stabilize. “Hey, Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Pull over.” A sly smirk on Jess’ lips. 

His eyes get wide, a flush growing on his cheek. He blinks in response. 

* * *

Jessica’s face is laying against Nick’s chest, still adored with his woven shirt buttoned and disheveled. The zipper of her dress is three-fourths of the way up. Just a little pulled down. Flushed in postcoital bliss, they can’t stop laughing. 

“That was fun. You’re fun,” Jess comments between giggles; propping up on her elbows against him. 

“You’re fun,” Nick chuckles back. “Well, we broke in the Prius.”

“Yeah, we did.”

They laugh again, Jess buries he face back in Nick’s chest. 

“I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, that’s just because I’m gonna start making big boy money, now. I know you’re play, ya Gold Digger.”

“Oh, my god! Me being with you makes me the worst gold digger in the world! You can barely afford the gas to get work most days.”

“Well, now I’m a successful writer.”

“’Successful’ has yet to be seen,”

“HA! See! Gold Digger!”

“Stop saying that. It’s really not okay. And you know it’s not true.” She tries to stop him from ruining the moment.

“Oh, really?” His voice goes several octaves lower. “Then prove it,” he practically growls at her; slowly rubbing her back.

Her chin trembles slightly, and she lips turn up just a hare. “I see what you did there,” she murmurs back to him; lower her head back to his chest. Then, slowly further down…

* * *

Jess unlocks the door to the loft, and Nick grabs him as soon as they walk through. They start kissing as he pushes her against the foyer credenza.

“Nicholas!” Schmidt calls out, walking from the kitchen towards Nick and Jess. Cece following closely behind.

“Geez, Schmidt! What are you doing here?” Nick groans in response. 

“Well, I certainly see what you’re doing,” Schmidt smirks. 

“I mean, ‘ya don’t live here. What the hell are doing here!?” Nick yells, obvious to everyone as to why. He is still propping Jess up against the table for goodness sakes.

“Jesus, Nick. I have never in my life… Can you believe this Cece?” Annoyed Schmidt rhetorically asks to his wife. “These are from me,” he gestures to all the flowers scatters in the living room of the loft.

“Well, technically, they’re from me,” Cece chimes in.

Jess shakes head in disbelief and her eyes get wide as she looks over to see a whole bunch of flower arrangements scattered around the living room. “What is all this?” Jess asks confused. 

Nick steps back from Jess to take in the spectacle; but keeps his hand on her waist. 

“Oh please, you should see our house,” Cecelia starts to explain. “My husband surprised me with about a hundred bouquets of flowers yesterday, to tell me that we’re _having a baby_!” Her giddy excitement noticeable in her voice. 

“Wow... and yay!” Jess responds, bringing Cece in for a big hug.

“What do guys do when they have baby news? Handshake?” Nick inquires to Schmidt.

“Give me a hug… you dumb-dumb,” Schmidt groans.

Jess breaks from Cece and gets the rooms attention. “Okay. Now, since the mood has been ruined, you guys are here, and it’s 2 p.m. and we only have the moving truck for a short while longer, you can help move me back in.”

“Are you serious?” Schmidt ask to Jess. “Is she serious?” He repeats to Nick.

“Yeah,” Jess casually responds, then points to Cece. “Except you. You just sit there and look pretty.”

“Well, actually I’m off to the nail salon. The place around the corner really does the best job.”

“I know!” Jess agrees, the girls completely ignoring the boys.

“I know!” Cece repeats. “They really do! Schmidt’s mom even agrees.”

“It’s a huge part of the reasons why I’ve lived here so long, because having to find another place…” Jess laments.

“Hey!” Nick interjects, offended.

“Ugh, I know,” Cece keeps going. “It’s literally the reason why I’ve come by the loft about 60 percent of the time. When you first moved in, I’d grab a coffee with you, get my nails done, and then have sex with Schmidt. It definitely made my life more convenient.” 

“And on the note that my pregnant wife saw me as one of her Sunday Fun-Day errands,” Schmidt retorts. “Nick? Are you ready to unload your lover’s belongings?”

Nick sighs. “Yeah, we should probably start to get the truck unloaded.” Turing towards the door, Schmidt pats him on the back.

Jess follows behind stating, “We have to have it back to the rental place by eight, or they charge me for an extra day.”

“What?” wide-eyed Cheap Nick queries from the doorway.

* * *

Later that evening, all the inhabitants of 4D are summoned to the loft. There are a few boxes scattered around the living room and the roommates are sitting around the dining table. A spread of plates and concoctions awaiting to be eaten.

Winston, in his cop uniform, is looking down at his phone “Aly just wrote. She’s just finishing up an intake and then she shall be joining us.”

Schmidt is standing at the head of the table, his back to the kitchen, bestowing his presence to his commoners. “Tonight, at Big Dinner, we are celebrating a new beginning.” Schmidt begins. “A renascence if you will. A coming together of friends, lovers, and a growing of families.”

“Babe, dial it back a little,” Cece navigates.

“No, I will not dial it back!” Schmidt retorts. “You are creating our Caramel Miracle! And it is the return of Nick and Jess, as a romantic couple! _The Pepperwood Chronicles_ is being published for more tweens to read! And Winston and Aly… well, Winston, do you have any big news?” Schmidt indignantly inquires.

“Aly found my dad and I called him,” Winston shrugs.

“What!?” Cece and Schmidt loudly question.

Nick and Jess both give sheepish miles.

“Yeah, Aly found my Dad’s number, so I while convincing Jess to be brave, and talk to Nick… I decided to be brave and left him a voicemail,” Winston’s occasional serious, even tone always made the rest of the group quiet and wary.

Jess eventually speaks up. “Have you heard back from him yet?”

“No. Not yet,” Winston’s tone still even, looking down at his hands resting on the dining table.

Cece takes one of Winston’s hands in her own.

“Well, just remember, people hardly use voicemail anymore,” Schmidt comments in his own logical but hopeful way.

“Eh, dads! Who needs ‘um?” Nick’s daddy issues always resurfacing, gesturing with hands waving about.

“Pop-Pop was a great man!” Winston rebuttals, and lightly chuckles with a smile.

“You guys hungry?” Jess asks as she starts to dull out the salad and pasta. 

“Yes,” is the consensus back.

The five friends start dig-in when the loft door opens, and two familiar voices fill the space.

“Well, officially, I moved in here a few weeks ago.” Aly explains to her companion. “I was already practically living here when Bishop and I got engaged, so when my lease was up, I brought the rest of my stuff over.”

“Cool. Yeah, May has a few performances in town at the Hollywood Bowl and I thought I’d surprise the gang with tickets for tomorrow night,” the tall African-American gentleman explains while holding the door for the police officer.

“COACH!” the five best friends holler, raising their arms in the air, excited to see their long-lost friend. 

* * *

The following evening, the three couples - plus Coach - sit and watch May preform a beautiful crescendo on the cello. 

“Does anyone else find it strange that the most romantic date that any of us have been on was planned by Coach?” Schmidt whispers to the group. 

“Yep,” the group whispers back with nods of agreement.

“Hey!” Coach retorts to the crew as May finishes her song; causing several audience members to turn at look at him in disgust.

“Sorry...” Coach grumbles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: Nick Miller’s opinion on the 3-drink limit at Commander’s Palace is also this author (and her best friend’s) opinion on that rule. :)
> 
> Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know your thoughts. Also, I know there are already stories about Nick and Jess in NOLA, but if you would like me to continue this adventure, I would love to write about one of my favorite cities. Let me know about that and a European adventure. Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Side question: as no one can really travel at the moment… I had an idea of doing a series of vignettes involving Nick and Jess’s adventures in Europe, minutely based on my own. Does anyone have any travel stories they would like to share that would be fun fodder for this duo? Let me know.


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